Nine Hyatt Properties Changing Award Category on Wednesday

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My stomach drops a little every time I see an email with a title relating to annual award chart changes and this is the time of the year that those emails start to roll in. You just never know how bad the news is going to be for your favorite redemptions until you get into the nitty-gritty details, so let’s jump right into what the World of Hyatt annual category changes will look like heading into 2018.

This is not a major shift as there are only eight Hyatt properties going up in award cost and one property coming down. Most of the changes are for Hyatt Place properties within the United States. These changes overall don’t look bad, though I do think the window for making bookings before changes kick in is a little tight as you only have until 12:01am CST on 12/13/17 (ie less than 48 hours) to make your bookings at the current rates.

Here are the Hyatt properties increasing in award rates for 2018:

Hyatt Place Orlando Airport 1 to 2

Hyatt Place Orlando/Lake Mary 1 to 2

Hyatt Place St. Paul 1 to 2

Hyatt Place Shenzhen, Dongmen 1 to 2

Hyatt Place Augusta 2 to 3

Hyatt Place Santa Cruz 2 to 4

Highlands Inn, a Hyatt Hotel 6 to 7

Hyatt Place Long Island/New York City 2 to 3

Hyatt properties decreasing in award rate for 2018:

The Confidante Hotel – Miami 6 to 4

Confidante Miami

Most of the properties increasing in award rate aren’t that exciting to me, but I am actually really intrigued by the Hyatt Place Long Island – New York City. Most Hyatts in NYC are 25,000 points per night and up, but this one is currently only 8,000 points per night. It is not in Manhattan, but is just one subway stop away in Queens, so it really isn’t far away from the action. At just 8,000 points per night and with larger rooms than you will find in Manhattan, it might be worth the subway ride in to stretch your points here.

It will still be a good value at 12,000 points per night once it becomes a Category 3 property on Wednesday, though obviously not quite as good of a deal as it is today. I may make a speculative booking or two here for next year before it increases in award rate. Josh is checking the property out very soon, and I’ll be sure to share his thoughts in case you want to lock something in, too.

If you have an award booking from 12/13/17 and onwards at the one property decreasing in price, the beachside Confidante in Miami, then they should proactively give you a points adjustment to new lower award price of 15,000 points per night instead of the current 25,000 points per night. Of course, this property will become a new great target to use your Hyatt Category 1-4 award nights beginning on Wednesday.

All in all, I think this is all good news on the whole in that most of the Hyatt properties won’t be changing category in 2018. I’m glad that we can exhale a bit and enjoy the Hyatt award chart more or less the way it is presumably throughout the next year.

What do you think of the new Hyatt award chart changes? Are you locking in any reservations before Wednesday?

Not that exciting, speak for yourself, I’m really upset Hyatt Place Santa Cruz is going to cost 15000 pts per night now. The hotel is only about a mile from the boardwalk and 2 miles from the UC Santa Cruz Campus, go banana slugs!

The Hyatt Place St. Paul MN change is a bummer for me. Beautiful old post office in downtown St. Paul converted into a Hyatt Place, enormous standard rooms with high ceilings, great points availability, and close to many great downtown St. Paul attractions. I had stayed twice at 5,000 points a night when room rates would be close to $200 after taxes and was hoping for more this year. Still a great hotel even for 8,000 points as it is not your standard Hyatt Place.

About Summer

Well, I am a married mom in my mid-30's. I have two rock star, adorable, beautiful, fantastic, mischievous, humorous, smarter-than-my-own-good girls. One is currently 7 going on 17 and the other is closing in on her 2nd birthday. I am obsessed with my adorable and insane kiddos, and also obsessed with earning and using airline and hotel points and miles to show them the world on a budget we can afford. Learn more about Summer

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